LAGRANGE, Ga. -- A North Carolina woman was charged with child cruelty after her 11-year-old daughter was found dead in the back of her car parked at a truck stop, authorities said Tuesday.

Nancy Akinyi Kasera, 38, of Thomasville, N.C., called 911 from the LaGrange Travel Center Sunday night saying the child was not breathing.

LaGrange is approximately 65 miles southwest of Atlanta.

Coroner Jeff Cook pronounced Nicole Aduma Kasera dead at the scene. Authorities still had not released autopsy results to determine the cause and time of death.

Cook said the girl was discovered dead in the back seat of the mother's compact sedan. The Troup County sheriff's office and an ambulance responded to the call.

The girl was traveling with her mother and 8-year-old sister, who was placed in foster care, Cook said.

Sheriff Donny Turner said the autopsy revealed the girl had been dead for 12-24 hours before Kasera's call. The examination also confirmed initial observations that her body had what Turner said were a "horrendous" amount of injuries from head to foot.

"She's refused to talk to us," Turner said.

Cook said his examination of the body at the scene and at West Georgia Medical Center in LaGrange did not reveal any clear signs the girl had prior health problems.

He said she was dressed in "normal street clothes: leggings, tennis shoes, blue jeans, two shirts, a jacket and stocking cap. It was cold that night."

Officers with the Davidson County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina were headed to Troup County Tuesday night to pick her up and return her to Davidson County.

The sheriff said the district attorney in Davidson County would examine evidence collected by Turner's office and determine if he can prosecute the Kenyan native. If not, Turner said Kasera will be returned to Georgia.
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